I used to live at a house in Tucson near the University. On more than one occasion I found that some idiot UofA student had parked in my lot in front of the entrance to my house and couldn't give two shiats if they were parking in my spot (despite ample signage). I know because I confronted more than one of these idiots.

People just want to dump their car on any parcel of land that they can and worse: they feel entitled to do it.

He has endured tirades from customers and dished out a few in the direction of the booting technician. In four cases, he paid for boots to be removed from customers' vehicles. He was booted himself.

So the booting companies are booting without request from the owners of the parking lots? At least here in Texas a vehicle will only be towed if either the police or the owner of the parking lot calls a towing company.

You wouldn't believe how many arguments and damn near fist fights I've seen over the parking lot at the apartment building I live in. It's always over the same two farking spots but the funniest thing is that there's no assigned parking here. It's a stupid parking spot,pick another place and get the fark over it.

rebelyell2006:He has endured tirades from customers and dished out a few in the direction of the booting technician. In four cases, he paid for boots to be removed from customers' vehicles. He was booted himself.

So the booting companies are booting without request from the owners of the parking lots? At least here in Texas a vehicle will only be towed if either the police or the owner of the parking lot calls a towing company.

rebelyell2006:He has endured tirades from customers and dished out a few in the direction of the booting technician. In four cases, he paid for boots to be removed from customers' vehicles. He was booted himself.

So the booting companies are booting without request from the owners of the parking lots? At least here in Texas a vehicle will only be towed if either the police or the owner of the parking lot calls a towing company.

Those responsible for the bootings have been booted./Mind you those Møøse bites can be pretty nasty

Pro-Tip: If you don't want to receive traffic citations, parking tickets, go to jail, have your car booted, or any other official form of punishment, don't break the official rules.

No, you're not being hip and rebellious when you park in a spot you're not supposed to. You're just rolling the dice to see if you get to pay someone else some money for no additional benefit to yourself. Buy the permit, park in the right spot, save yourself some time and money.

RareChimer:Pro-Tip: If you don't want to receive traffic citations, parking tickets, go to jail, have your car booted, or any other official form of punishment, don't break the official rules.

No, you're not being hip and rebellious when you park in a spot you're not supposed to. You're just rolling the dice to see if you get to pay someone else some money for no additional benefit to yourself. Buy the permit, park in the right spot, save yourself some time and money.

OK, if I park on private property they can have me booted because I'm actually trespassing, but they can detain and "fine" me too? I would think it should be a police matter, they are actually holding my car for ransom. Isn't that some kind of extortion?/ too old to give a damn

WTFDYW:RareChimer: Pro-Tip: If you don't want to receive traffic citations, parking tickets, go to jail, have your car booted, or any other official form of punishment, don't break the official rules.

No, you're not being hip and rebellious when you park in a spot you're not supposed to. You're just rolling the dice to see if you get to pay someone else some money for no additional benefit to yourself. Buy the permit, park in the right spot, save yourself some time and money.

Nima Patel, a 24-year-old Stockbridge resident, said she parked at the Starbucks lot on 14th Street, then decided she preferred a bagel at Einstein Bros. next door. She bought the bagel and then returned to Starbucks.

It was a few hours before she noticed the boot on her car. The parking technician had taken video footage of Patel as she left the lot, and said it was a violation of the "in and out" policy. He didn't budge on the $75 fee, even when Patel called the police.

"I told him I went right next door and came right back," Patel said. "This is just way too unfair. I feel bullied and deceived."

And towing is almost unheard off. Police have the power to call a tow service and if you as a company or private citizen call a tow service for someone parking in your way, you have to pay. But you can get the fees back from the guy you had towed (yeah, good luck with that)

cig-mkr:OK, if I park on private property they can have me booted because I'm actually trespassing, but they can detain and "fine" me too? I would think it should be a police matter, they are actually holding my car for ransom. Isn't that some kind of extortion?/ too old to give a damn

They would not have had the opportunity to "extort" you had you obeyed their clearly labelled signs.

So the problem is that cars are taking up spots in lots for places they're not patronizing...... so the solution is to immobilize those vehicles, assuring they take up the spot for much longer?Brilliant!

The My Little Pony Killer:cig-mkr: OK, if I park on private property they can have me booted because I'm actually trespassing, but they can detain and "fine" me too? I would think it should be a police matter, they are actually holding my car for ransom. Isn't that some kind of extortion?/ too old to give a damn

They would not have had the opportunity to "extort" you had you obeyed their clearly labelled signs.

The My Little Pony Killer:cig-mkr: OK, if I park on private property they can have me booted because I'm actually trespassing, but they can detain and "fine" me too? I would think it should be a police matter, they are actually holding my car for ransom. Isn't that some kind of extortion?/ too old to give a damn

They would not have had the opportunity to "extort" you had you obeyed their clearly labelled signs.

This seems to be happening a lot on this site lately. The argument isn't whether or not the offender behaved appropriately- we all concede that parking where you shouldn't is bad. The issue with what you were replying to is whether or not the fine is appropriate. If I say 'this is wrong, but the punishment is too severe' and you say 'yeah but it's wrong,' do you see the issue? We don't know what you're trying to convey.

rebelyell2006:He has endured tirades from customers and dished out a few in the direction of the booting technician. In four cases, he paid for boots to be removed from customers' vehicles. He was booted himself.

So the booting companies are booting without request from the owners of the parking lots? At least here in Texas a vehicle will only be towed if either the police or the owner of the parking lot calls a towing company.

The problem.is the Atlanta city council, they wrote ordinances way too broad for these guys even when there was conflict of interest pointed out.

We have had guys get vans/trucks booted even if the building owner told them where to park, there is no leeway in the ordinance at all and that us the problem.

mgshamster:The My Little Pony Killer: cig-mkr: OK, if I park on private property they can have me booted because I'm actually trespassing, but they can detain and "fine" me too? I would think it should be a police matter, they are actually holding my car for ransom. Isn't that some kind of extortion?/ too old to give a damn

They would not have had the opportunity to "extort" you had you obeyed their clearly labelled signs.

Weird how they didn't think to include the actual text of said "unclear" signs in TFA, don't you think? This is more of an issue of people either not knowing how to comprehend what they're reading, or just not giving a shiat because "I'll only be a minute."

Did you have permission to park on that property you're parking on? No.

Then why on earth would you think you have a right to take someone else's property for your own use?

rosonowski:So the problem is that cars are taking up spots in lots for places they're not patronizing...... so the solution is to immobilize those vehicles, assuring they take up the spot for much longer?Brilliant!

The idea is that it serves as a deterrent to others planning on doing the same thing. Why would a business pay extra to provide parking spaces when they can just tell their customers to use the spaces provided and paid for by other businesses? Land isn't free and neither is building and upkeep on parking spaces.

If you want a real scam, there are some of the lots where you pay by folding your money and sticking it in a slot numbered the same as your parking space. Since there is no receipt, some of the less ethical lot owners will have you booted or towed because you can't prove you paid. They don't care if it negatively effects nearby businesses because they're strictly in the parking business. In tourist areas, they can get away with it because someone from out of town is going to pay to get their car back and won't bother to take anyone to court.

RareChimer:Pro-Tip: If you don't want to receive traffic citations, parking tickets, go to jail, have your car booted, or any other official form of punishment, don't break the official rules.

No, you're not being hip and rebellious when you park in a spot you're not supposed to. You're just rolling the dice to see if you get to pay someone else some money for no additional benefit to yourself. Buy the permit, park in the right spot, save yourself some time and money.

You might want to RTFA because some people are having their cars booted when they're parked legally and are customers.

FTA...Cherokee County commissioners voted unanimously last year to ban the use of parking boots by private companies. That came after customers at an Acworth McDonald's said they were booted while inside the restaurant and had to pay a $500 release fee.

andyfromfl:The My Little Pony Killer: cig-mkr: OK, if I park on private property they can have me booted because I'm actually trespassing, but they can detain and "fine" me too? I would think it should be a police matter, they are actually holding my car for ransom. Isn't that some kind of extortion?/ too old to give a damn

They would not have had the opportunity to "extort" you had you obeyed their clearly labelled signs.

This seems to be happening a lot on this site lately. The argument isn't whether or not the offender behaved appropriately- we all concede that parking where you shouldn't is bad. The issue with what you were replying to is whether or not the fine is appropriate. If I say 'this is wrong, but the punishment is too severe' and you say 'yeah but it's wrong,' do you see the issue? We don't know what you're trying to convey.

it happens everywhere. many people are just like "well don't do stuff wrong." i see it mostly in piracy threads. like a million dollar fine is appropriate. but yeah, the trick is just to blow past those people or ignore them, they really aren't adding anything.

/after all, they replied incorrectly, and should be shot in the head for lack of basic understanding.

So don't park where you're not supposed to. I worked in downtown Denver for about 10 years I received about 5-6 tickets. Only one was BS but I was still technically in the wrong. I parked in front of a "driveway" of an old (100 year old plus) warehouse where the entrance had been bricked over and the building abandoned. I was told that a driveway is a driveway whether it's used or not.

rosonowski:So the problem is that cars are taking up spots in lots for places they're not patronizing...... so the solution is to immobilize those vehicles, assuring they take up the spot for much longer?Brilliant!

I came here for this. In what world is booting a better solution than towing?

/getting drunk and watching parallel parked cars get towed is the shiat//they just jack the front tires up on little jacks with wheels and push the front end of the car into the street///it literally takes under a minute from the time the tow-truck pulls up

The My Little Pony Killer:mgshamster: The My Little Pony Killer: cig-mkr: OK, if I park on private property they can have me booted because I'm actually trespassing, but they can detain and "fine" me too? I would think it should be a police matter, they are actually holding my car for ransom. Isn't that some kind of extortion?/ too old to give a damn

They would not have had the opportunity to "extort" you had you obeyed their clearly labelled signs.

Weird how they didn't think to include the actual text of said "unclear" signs in TFA, don't you think? This is more of an issue of people either not knowing how to comprehend what they're reading, or just not giving a shiat because "I'll only be a minute."

Quite possible. It would have been nice for them to show a pic of it.

CSB: A friend of mine has his car towed last week for not having his parking pass visible. He was in his assigned parking spot with his normal vehicle which they have on record (so they could have compared his license plate and car description to their records instead of towing him). Despite California law, though, they did not have signs posted with the name and number of the towing company, nor did they give him a 72 hour notice.

I remember a few years ago when cars with side-shooting flame throwers were legal in South Africa due to the escalation of violent carjacking in Johannesburg.I wonder if those could be re-tooled a bit to automatically recognize an attempted booting?

The My Little Pony Killer:cig-mkr: OK, if I park on private property they can have me booted because I'm actually trespassing, but they can detain and "fine" me too? I would think it should be a police matter, they are actually holding my car for ransom. Isn't that some kind of extortion?/ too old to give a damn

They would not have had the opportunity to "extort" you had you obeyed their clearly labelled signs.

Nothing is labeled clearly, that's the problem. Private parking companies have been making this up as they go along and look for loopholes that allow them to get away with it.

Because People in power are Stupid:I used to live at a house in Tucson near the University. On more than one occasion I found that some idiot UofA student had parked in my lot in front of the entrance to my house and couldn't give two shiats if they were parking in my spot (despite ample signage). I know because I confronted more than one of these idiots.

People just want to dump their car on any parcel of land that they can and worse: they feel entitled to do it.

GoldDude:I remember a few years ago when cars with side-shooting flame throwers were legal in South Africa due to the escalation of violent carjacking in Johannesburg.I wonder if those could be re-tooled a bit to automatically recognize an attempted booting?[img.uphaa.com image 450x162]

Just get hydraulics/airbags and slam that sumbiatch to the ground when you park. Can't get a boot around the wheel.